Amazing Spider-Man #575Review

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A benchmark for the new direction of Spider-Man has arrived.

By Dan Phillips

Considering I spent large portions of my "New Ways to Die" reviews complaining about Amazing Spider-Man's unwillingness to move beyond awkward One More Day references and actually move forward with entertaining and accessible Spider-Man stories, I suppose it's only fair that I immediately acknowledge when the book delivers precisely what I've been pleading for. Amazing Spider-Man #575 is a fun, fast-paced comic that any Spidey fan, new or old, can enjoy on its own.

This issue is precisely the sort of thing I was hoping for when Marvel announced the title's new direction. There's not a One More Day reference to speak of, nor are there any awkward signs to this title's plethora of baggage. The book keeps its eyes on the road ahead and delivers whopping servings of energy, humor and action. It's the most entertaining Spider-Man comic I've read in a while. (Granted, I haven't been reading anything other than Amazing lately.)

Maybe it's because I'm simply tired of Dan Slott's take on Spidey's wise-cracking persona, but Joe Kelly's Spider-Man came as a revelation for me. For the first time in a long time, I found myself actually chuckling at Spidey's one-liners, as opposed to rolling my eyes or sighing. Kelly's Spidey is genuinely funny instead of cheesy, clever instead of self-aware, and charming instead of annoying. The issue begins with what amounts to one giant comedic set piece and an excuse to have Carlos Bachalo draw web-slinging action, and in both respects, the scene works wonderfully. It involves Spider-Man saving a rotten-smelling hobo and her genetically enhanced pet mouse from an army of hovercraft-riding clowns in tuxedoes, but that description doesn't begin to do the humor and wackiness of the sequence any justice. These six pages do nothing for the actual plot of the book, but they start the issue off on the perfect foot, reintroducing us to both Kelly's inspired voice and Bachalo's playful and dynamic pencils. And in that regard, they're more than worth it.

From there, the book moves onto more familiar territory. We're reintroduced to the recently enhanced Hammerhead, hang out with Peter in the offices of Front Line, meet a group of teenage gangbangers and then watch as the three threads begin to interweave. The reason this familiar territory still feels fresh and exciting is due largely to Bachalo's inventive page layouts and overall gorgeous and energetic style. Even relatively static scenes pop off the page, and each panel is packed with a sense of emotion and vitality. Joe Kelly's contribution to making this all seem fresh can't be overlooked either. Not only does he give Bachalo plenty of visually compelling scenes to work with, but also imbues each panel with punchy and smart dialogue. The whole issue reads like a fast-paced game of back and forth between the writer and artist, making even the most mundane and familiar scenes seem alive.

This issue oozes style from start to finish, and editors Tom Brevoort and Steve Wacker would do well to note how fantastically these two creators work together. As far as plot goes, there's also a ton to like about this issue. Kelly surely and confidently ties his disparate threads together, leading up to a climactic cliffhanger that leavess us excited for more. This new version of Hammerhead packs a serious punch both literally and figuratively as a character, and Kelly gets a lot of mileage out of the "laughable villain turned badass" motif. All in all, it's a tremendously entertaining Spider-Man comic that's as fun to read as it is to look at.